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30 Jan 2007 : Column 258W—continued



30 Jan 2007 : Column 259W
Number of non-disabled individuals with JSA sanctions 1 August 2005 to 31 July 2006
Fixed length sanctions
2 weeks 4 weeks 26 weeks

Female

20-29

1,250

170

60

30-39

110

20

10

40-49

100

10

0

50-59

30

10

0

Male

20-29

6,560

1,050

350

30-39

1,340

230

90

40-49

820

140

60

50-59

170

30

0

Notes: 1. Individuals and decisions based figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding method used. 2. Most recent sanction is shown for each individual. 3. Disability status: disability is self-assessed as having a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. 4. There are no set 13-week sanctions. Source: DWP Information Directorate: JSA Sanctions and Disallowances Decisions Statistics Database. Data are cumulative from April 2000 to current data extract date.

Benefit Fraud

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the value of fraudulent benefit claims which could be detected annually if a definitive national database of addresses existed. [116285]

Mr. Plaskitt: There has been no estimate made of the value of fraudulent claims which could be detected annually if a definitive national database of addresses existed.

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fines were issued for benefit fraud in each year for which figures are available; and how much was received from such fines in each year. [116582]

Mr. Plaskitt: Information regarding the value of fines is not available. The available information is in the following table.

Fines imposed by court and administrative penalties imposed by DWP
Fines imposed by court Administrative penalties
Benefit cases( 1) Instrument of payment fraud Benefit cases( 1) Instrument of payment fraud

1999-2000

1,710

333

5,409

72

2000-01

2,074

577

7,575

139

2001-02

1,854

520

6,422

100

2002-03

1,555

453

7,061

128

2003-04

1,432

396

7,882

146

2004-05

1,301

325

8,217

293

2005-06

1,083

168

10,433

437

(1) Not including instrument of payment fraud.
Note:
Figures include General Matching Service cases.
Source:
Fraud Information by Sector.

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many full-time equivalent fraud investigators his Department employs; and how many customer compliance officers his Department employed in each year since 2004. [116585]

Mr. Plaskitt: In April 2006 the National Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) was launched to combat fraud through a more focused, sanction orientated organisation. In addition, from April 2006 we introduced new Customer Compliance Officers to tackle low-level abuse that cannot be taken through the criminal courts. There are currently 810 full-time
30 Jan 2007 : Column 260W
equivalent staff employed in the Customer Compliance process. Information regarding the number of DWP fraud investigators is in the following table.

DWP fraud investigators (full-time equivalents)
April to March each year: Number

2004-05

1,843.5

2005-06

1,744.1

Source:
Fraud Business Report

DWP fraud investigations
DWP successful prosecutions DWP cautions and administrative penalties Total

2004-05

8,573

18,505

27,078

2005-06

8,858

21,413

30,271


Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what evaluations his Department has conducted of the use of biometric data as a means by which to reduce benefit fraud. [116595]

Mr. Plaskitt: The Department for Work and Pensions recognises that the introduction of identity verification services, to be provided by the Identity and Passport Service as part of the National Identity Card scheme, will have a significant impact on the ability of fraudsters to make claims for social security benefits using more than one identity.

Work is still ongoing to establish how the Department will make use of the identity verification services and of the impact the National Identity scheme will have on other forms of benefit fraud. This work will take account of the use of biometric data.

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many fraud inspectors there were in his Department to investigate (a) incapacity benefit fraud and (b) other benefit fraud in each year since 2004. [101110]

Mr. Plaskitt: In April 2006 the National Fraud Investigation Service (FIS) was launched to combat fraud through a more focused, sanction orientated organisation. In addition, from April 2006 we introduced new Customer Compliance Officers to tackle low-level abuse that cannot be taken through the criminal courts.

Benefit fraud investigators in the Department for Work and Pensions deal with allegations of benefit fraud relating to all benefits administered by this Department. We do not employ a specific number of staff to investigate incapacity benefit.

DWP fraud investigators (full-time equivalents)
Number

April 2004 to March 2005

1,843.5

April 2005 to March 2006

1,744.1

Source:
Fraud Business Report

30 Jan 2007 : Column 261W

DWP fraud investigations
2004-05 2005-06

DWP successful prosecutions

8,573

8,858

DWP cautions and administrative penalties

18,505

21,413

Total

27,078

30,271


Benefit Overpayments

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much overpayment his Department recovered in each benefit in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [102166]

Mr. Plaskitt: The information requested is in the following tables:

2001-02
Benefit £

Income Support

106,697,306

Retirement Pension

16,071,753

Child Benefit

12,197,647

JSA Income Based

10,874,478

Incapacity Benefit

8,848,884

Invalid Care Allowance

8,612,812

Attendance Allowance

8,455,373

Disability Living Allowance

5,503,432

Supplementary Benefit

2,517,179

Family Credit

2,281,859

Widows Benefit

2,060,054

Invalidity Benefit

1,633,556

Severe Disablement Allowance

667,286

All Others

1,578,382

Total

188,000,000


2002-03
Benefit £

Income Support

107,815,912

Retirement Pension

15,027,862

Child Benefit

13,011,176

JSA Income Based

10,465,796

Incapacity Benefit

9,366,763

Attendance Allowance

8,652,332

Invalid Care Allowance

7,741,619

Disability Living Allowance

6,397,545

Supplementary Benefit

2,266,228

Housing Benefit

2,191,025

Widows Benefit

1,843,593

Family Credit

1,651,163

Invalidity Benefit

1,522,511

All Others

2,046,476

Total

190,000,000



30 Jan 2007 : Column 262W
2003-04
Benefit £

Income Support

109,139,417

Retirement Pension

15,090,821

JSA Income Based

12,713,974

Incapacity Benefit

79,211

Attendance Allowance

10,373,746

Disability Living Allowance

8,012,299

Invalid Care Allowance

7,805,497

Housing Benefit

3,006,450

Supplementary Benefit

2,006,181

Invalidity Benefit

1,378,055

Widows Benefit

1,276,144

Family Credit

901,600

Severe Disablement Allowance

719,858

All Others

1,429,747

Total

184,233,000


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